Yagyu Criminal
by Akylina11
Summary: When a serial killer is running loose in the Mikawa province of Japan, Elite Ninja; Hattori Hanzo, has no other option but to send help. With four of the greatest ninjas in Japan, they must become acquainted if they were gonna be able to catch this samurai killer. But some unfortunate events occur in the mists as they became close to finding out who this man was and his reasoning.
1. 第一章

"Master Hanzo! Master Hanzo!" A messenger frantically sprints through the courtyard of a temple and roughly opens the sliding door to find a man in a blue and black ninja attire standing in front of a woman with pink and red attire.

"What is it?!" Hanzo asks in surprise as he and Kuma look back at the man panting at the doorway.

"The-there has been another murder!" The man informs the ninjas as he attempts to catch his breathe. "Near the river of Imashima."

"How long ago?" Kuma asks the man, taking a step towards him in interest of the news.

"A boy found the body this morning. And the wounds were fresh."

"Get the horses ready. We're leaving now." Hanzo orders the messenger with a wave of his arm before he left in a hurry.

"You think it may be the same man who had committed the others as well?" Kuma asks as she follows Hanzo through the temple.

"It could be, Kuma. But we won't know until we see."

Grabbing their weapons, Hanzo and Kuma quickly rode out on horseback to the nearby village where the murder happened. A crowd was surrounding the body of the victim near the riverbank as Master Hanzo and Kuma arrived on horseback. Dismounting and handing their horses over to a samurai, the ninjas made their way through the crowd towards the body before being greeted by a familiar figure.

"Master Hanzo, seems like you got the news." The doctor, Rennoshin, comments as he looks up to find him walking towards him with a stern expression on his face. "I know what you will ask; and yes. The victim is a male. He is in his thirties. His ranking is a nobleman samurai. And like the rest of the men; he is a single man with no family or marriage affairs." Rennoshin explains to Hanzo the detail of the man before standing from the ground and looking at the ninja.

Hanzo stares at the body in silence for a moment. "Is there a signature?"

Rennoshin gazes at Hanzo for a second before leaning down and opening the man's kimono; revealing a symbol for the meaning "Corpse" engraved in the dead man's breast. There was silence between the two men as they take the long look of the signature this murderer has been leaving with all of the dead men around the Mikawa province. Rennoshin finally hides the marking of the murderer under the kimono and stood up next to the ninja.

"Just like the others." He mutters to him.

"Have any of the dogs found a trail or clue?"

The blond shook his head.

"Tch. How is this guy getting away?"

"Well," Begins the doctor. "These stab wounds are clean and swift. If someone would have killed him with any weapon, my best guess would have to be with a katana. And if this is an instant kill; than the killer would have to have some type of background with sword fighting."

"That may narrow the list down. But we still need to know one more find until we can look for someone specifically." Hanzo shook his head slightly before letting out a small sigh.

"I'm not down yet." Rennoshin bluntly states. "This man's wakazi and katana haven't been touched and there are no signs of bruising or scratches on his hands or wrists; meaning the man must have known the unsub. Similar to the other victims."

"Rennoshin, what's in his hand?" Kuma points to the man's left hand.

Rennoshin looks at the hand in confusion before gently picking it up from his side and examining it. To his surprise, he missed something. Opening the man's hand, he delicately pulls out long strands of hair of an odd color. Bringing it up to the sunlight, he studies the hair strand before placing it in a small bag and hiding it in his bag.

"A hair sample." He tells the two ninjas.

"You think we would be able to find the killer with a sample that small?" Hanzo asks as he eyes Rennoshin's bag.

"No." He answers simply. "But I believe I know a way of finding this unsub." Rennoshin stood up and grabs his shoulder bag before leaving the scene of the crime without another word to the confused ninjas.

 __ **~*~ Yagyu Criminal ~*~**

Rennoshin strolls through the nearby village until he found what he was looking for. And what he was looking for was a certain mountain man. Tall, jade mane, jade eyes, and swords at his sides. Doesn't take him long to find the man he was looking for through the crowd.

"Musashi Miyamoto!" Musashi looks back in surprise for a moment before seeing the doctor walking up to him with a blank expression.

"Well, if it isn't the doctor. What brings you here?"

"The fact that there is a dead body on the other side of town?" Rennoshin stares at the tall swordsman and frowns.

"I heard. He looks like the other men that have been murdered." Musashi looks back at the vendor and asks for some rice triangles. "How far have you gotten this time?" He asks as he is handed his food.

"That's why I need to speak with you." Rennoshin pulls out the strand of hair and reveals it to Musashi, who looks down at it with a blank expression as he notices the emerald glow to it.

"You have me as a suspect?" He questions.

"You are on the list, but I also have others on it."

Musashi picks up the strand of hair and looks up at it as he brings it up to the sunlight. As he stares at it, a sudden smile appears on his lips before it disappears. But it stayed long enough for Rennoshin to notice.

"Do you think you know who it would belong to?"

Musashi hesitates. "Not a clue."

"Then why did you smile?" Musashi gives a little grin again before shaking his head.

"The feeling of the hair reminded me of someone." Rennoshin nods his head before putting the evidence away in his bag again. "Are all the suspects men?"

The blond looks up at the ronin in confusion as he catches his narrow gaze.

"So far, yes."

"Change that."

"Hm?"

"The reason why your victims didn't have any defensive markings on them was because they were around someone who was able to keep their guard down. And the hair that was found, the man got close to the killer and attempted to be intimate."

"Are you under the impression that," Musashi finishes.

"Your killer may be a woman."

 **~*~ Yagyu Criminal ~*~**

Hanzo sat in his office as night fell over Japan and dreaded to get some sleep that night. But the evidence from today's crime has been haunting him and he wishes he could just catch the killer already. But he lets out a sigh in exhaustion, figuring it might be later than sooner.

"Hanzo," Kuma walks into the office with some scrolls in her hands for him to look at, but she halts halfway as she notices his worn out look on his face. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, just tired." He answers. "What are those?"

"The duties of the last victim. A recorder at the temple handed them over after finding out that he has been murdered." Kuma explains as she sets them down on Hanzo's desk.

"We should continue this tomorrow." Hanzo exclaims after a second of silence. "Let's get some rest, Kuma."

Kuma nods at him before the two leave the room in silence and head towards their sleeping quarters.

Hanzo had a hard time falling asleep that night. He continually stared up at the ceiling in confusion and restlessness. He had this nagging feeling in the back of his head, wondering if he should really go with the idea of it.

He sighs. "It's the only idea I have left."

Sitting up from his futon, he walks over to the desk on the other side of the room and pulls out his brush, ink, and a stack of paper. He sat staring at the blank piece for a minute before figuring what he wants write.

 _Dear Loyal Ninja,_

 _As rumors has spread through Japan of the assassinations of high ranking samurais, our evidence keeps shallow. Dogs unable to find trails. Little finds on the body. Sooner to later, this shall become something unaccountable and the slaughter shall continue behind our backs. I hope to have you join forces to be a help to unearth the man who is committing these unlawful acts and bring him to justice._

 _Hattori Hanzo_

Hanzo copies the letter four times before allowing to dry and tying them separately. Walking out of the room, he makes his way down the hallway until he found a pupil. Handing over the letters, Hanzo names off the ninjas he wants to receive the letters and watches him off.

Standing in the crisp night air, Hanzo felt some tension release from him before he makes his way back to his room in silence.


	2. 第2章

The albino stood still with a tanegashima in his hand as he uses his right eye to aim the barrel towards the target sitting on the stack of straw. It stood silent for a delicate minute before he finally pulled back the trigger. Pale smoke escapes the barrel of the gun and a loud echo of the gunshot surrounds the fire zone. The man stood without a flinch before bringing in the gun close to his face; eyes still staring at the target.

"Impressive." A deep voice interrupts him, making him look back at his father. "I don't expect anything less from the greatest sharp shooter in the Fuma clan."

"Thank you father." Kotaro bows deeply at his father's praise.

"Aside from your training, you have received a letter." Kotaro's father looks down at his hand before revealing a tan letter with a red string keeping it closed.

"Do you know who wrote it?" Kotaro asks as he walks up to his father and takes the letter in his grip.

"Messenger didn't say. Seemed to be in a hurry." Kotaro looks down at the letter with a raised eyebrow before untying the red sting and unfolding it.

Reading the letter, Kotaro couldn't help but reread it a second time to finally understand what was going on in the Mikawa province.

 **~*~ yagyu criminal ~*~**

Goemon laid in the clearing of a forest on a warm afternoon. The forest around him sat in silence, excluding the sounds of birds traveling and singing to each other.

Goemon had just gotten back from a mission down south and he requests a break. Even without the approval of the head ninja of the Iga clan, Goemon walked away free and is enjoying his freedom by napping in the middle of the forest. Yet he was used to walking, he felt worn by the trip and stretched his legs out in the plush grass.

"One more move and you will be lunch." Goemon suddenly says out of nowhere. But in the shade of the trees around him, a man was making his way towards him before his voice stops him and he freezes. "What do you want?" He asks the man.

"I have a message. From Hattori Hanzo." He tells the fire bearer.

Goemon opens his eyes and holds out one of his hands, signaling that the man could get close to him. Walking up to the ninja, the man hands him the letter before backing away again and trying to keep his distance.

Goemon reads the letter silently before a smirk appears on his lips and he burns the letter he held in his grip. Standing up from the ground, Goemon makes his way back to Iga to tell the head ninja before his departure in just a few hours.

 **~*~ yagyu criminal ~*~**

"Saizo!" A shouting from outside a home suddenly appears before a head sticks through the sliding doors of the front door. "Saizo?"

"The hell you want, Sasuke?" Saizo asks bluntly as he sat in the living room, reading the letter that was sent out to him.

"Oh! You also got one?!" Sasuke asks loudly as he walks into the home and sits near his friend.

"Don't tell me a monkey like you got a request from Hattori Hanzo." Sasuke smiles and holds up the opened letter to show Saizo. "Tch."

 **~*~ yagyu criminal ~*~**

Kotaro dismounts his horse as he arrives in front of the Hattori mansion before a servant takes his horse away to the stables. He stood silently, admiring the built of the mansion in front of him. Knowing they are a wealthy family and a strong force; tied with the Shogun. But the only son; Hanzo, is still unmarried and has no ties with any wealthy families that are looking for a husband for their daughter. And rumors of Hanzo with his "great" skill with women are all true.

Kotaro stood motionless until swiftly pulling out the matchlock tied in a holster and rotates his body to aim directly behind him. But in precision, the ninja's reflects was able to kick the gun out of Kotaro's hand before throwing a counter punch. The albino quickly deflects before grabbing his opponent's arm and throwing him over his shoulder. But he quickly counters Kotaro's move and kicks him off his feet, making Kotaro fall on the gravel. Before Kotaro could get up again, a body pins him down and holds a knife to his neck.

"Kotaro Fuma." Says the deep voice. "Greatest sharpshooter and gunsman in the Fuma clan. But, not very swift on your feet."

Kotaro looks up to the red head and glares at him. "Goemon Ishikawa. Such a great ninja with a disrespect for women." Goemon's smirk doesn't leave his lips as he tilts his head to the side slightly.

"Called by Hanzo Hattori?" He asks.

"I'm surprised you even showed up."

"Hm. I may be a lady killer, but I am still the great ninja you described me as."

Goemon sits up and sheathed his knife once again; not leaving from his spot on top of Kotaro.

"That's right. You're also a fire bearer. Meaning, you could burn all the evidence that we have." Kotaro says to him sarcastically, making Goemon frown.

"Well look at who we have here." Fire and ice look back and see two other ninja's walking towards them. "Kotaro Fuma and Goemon Ishikawa we're also called in."

"That's who these guys are!?" Sasuke asks loudly.

"Keep your voice down monkey." Saizo lectures before smacking the back of his head.

"Who else is joining this party?" Goemon asks with a sigh.

"So far, only you." Hanzo walks out onto the porch of the mansion and stood in front of the men with Kuma by his side. "Seems like all of you made in a short time notice."

"It was a sudden request, Master Hanzo." Kotaro comments as he stood from the gravel and bowed deeply with the others at his sides.

"But we're here to help in any way possible." Saizo finishes.

"I hope you all can help in a way. You are the youngests and best ninjas of the provinces; I hope you won't fail to catch this assassin."

"We won't, Master Hanzo." The four say in unison.

 **~*~ yagyu criminal ~*~**

Rennoshin sat in his office, staring down at the lock of hair found on the last victim.

" _Your killer may be a woman."_

Musashi's words ran through his head in repeat. He didn't know what to think anymore. These killings have gone on for two months and he has not been able to rest easy. But now that there is a chance that the unsub is a woman; it changes the whole game of the assassinations.

Rennoshin sat in silence. It's been three days since the last murder, and he is becoming very anxious to find another clue.

"Doctor!" A man suddenly bursts into the clinic in a hurry, making Rennoshin sit up in alertness. "There is another dead body!"


	3. 第3章

Rennoshin was the first to make it to the crime scene, but it was the last thing he would have expected. Hanging from a sakura tree was a prostitute. Her makeup was smeared and her kimono was partially open, but her jewelry was all off and scattered. Even the hair stick that kept her hair up was several meters away from the body, as though the murderer threw it away from her.

"Bring her down." Rennoshin tells the samurai.

Cutting down the rope that held her by her neck, the samurai gently caught her and laid her down on the ground without a single word before backing away and allowing the doctor to examine her body.

"Such a beautiful woman, yet she died a horrible death." Rennoshin hesitates before looking back at the tree to see Goemon leaning against it with a frown.

"Would you suspect a suicide, doc?" Saizo asks as he walks up to the body.

"No." He simply answers.

"But only someone who wants to kill themselves would hang themselves from a tree." Sasuke exclaims.

"Nothing about this looks like a suicide." Kotaro states behind the doctor. "There is vomit on the grass near the tree and from the looks of her broken fingernails, she must have put up a fight."

"Kotaro is correct." Rennoshin says as he examines the hands of the prostitute. "She also has a clean cut on her palm, meaning she was fighting against someone with a weapon."

Rennoshin begins to open the kimono to examine the body, but what caught his eye was the unsubs signature of "Corpse" on the females valley. Yet all the men look at the symbol in awe, Rennoshin could only let out a sigh in disappointment.

"She was here."

 **~*~ Yagyu Criminal ~*~**

"I wouldn't have never suspected the serial killer to be a woman." Sasuke mutters as he lies on the tatum flooring in the Hattori mansion.

The ninjas and the doctor made it back to report to Hanzo about the change in M.O. The news made Hanzo confused and worried. Knowing that these killing have gotten this far, he wondered how much further this man is willing to go before being brought to justice. And how many more lives will be taken.

"Well, things like this always happen. I had this situation in mind when I first heard of the murders happening, but I didn't expect it to be true." Kotaro explains to Sasuke as he looks down at a map of the Province.

"This serial killer is very good with covering their tracks." Saizo comments. "No foot prints, hair, skin, clothing. Nothing left behind besides the body with the death blows."

"So the first five men were murdered the same way; stab wound to the heart for a quick death. Also, the men's jewelry was scattered or thrown in a distance. We still don't know if they have any connections to each other but so far, they are all from different villages." Goemon continues to speak as he looks down at a scroll with the latest victim.

"And Rennoshin was told that the killer may be a woman because Musashi Miyamoto told him." Saizo grunts in annoyance.

"Didn't Rennoshin also find a hair sample?"

"Yes. He says that it's the only solid evidence that they have of this killer." Kotaro simply states as he continues to trace the map.

"How is he, or she, that good?" Goemon shook his head.

"No idea. But they may have special training somewhere."

"Like swordsmanship?" Sasuke asks his friend.

"That narrows the list down." Goemon sarcastically says to Saizo as he rolls his eyes. "Almost all of Japan is like that."

"Well do you have a better idea?" Saizo asks in an irritable tone.

"Maybe this guy is a ninja." Sasuke mutters mostly to himself.

"He's not a ninja!" Goemon and Saizo shout at him in unison.

"Shut up. I think I found something." Kotaro walks over to the men on the ground and set the map down in between them. "These are all the places where the murders have happened, including the one that happened today."

"Yeah, so?"

"If," Kotaro pulls out a pencil and begins to connect the points. "We connect them and find the point of balance between the six spots, you get," He points to the center of the lines where they connect and looks up at his allys.

"The safe haven of the killer." Goemon says out loud.

"Finally, so where is this safe haven?" Sasuke asks.

But none of the ninjas answered as they looked at each other with all the same expression.

 **~*~ Yagyu Criminal ~*~**

Musashi walks through a village as though it was his thousandth time he has walked through it and is retracing his steps. His arms at his sides in a relaxed position, his lips curled in his usual grin, his swords at his belt. Everything was going good, and Musashi was just going to visit a friend.

As Musashi walks out of the village and down a cobbled road, he makes his way towards a fine looking mansion he knows from the inside and out. Knocking at the mansion gates, an archer from the top of the gates shouts out,

"Who goes there?!" Musashi remembers the script clearly.

"A friend of the heir." The guard nods his head and the gates open to Musashi. His smile doesn't cease as he walks in like he owns the place.

"It's been a while, Miyamoto." The guard says to the ronin before he gives him a nod and walks towards the courtyard.

"Good afternoon, Munetoshi." The ronin bows deeply to an elder man sitting on the porch of the mansion.

"Ah, Musashi. It's been a while. I see you are growing stronger." The elder man comments to him before taking a sip of his tea. "I believe you are here for my son."

Musashi smirks. "As much as it pains him to see my face, yes."

Munetoshi laughs before waving over in a direction; towards the training grounds. "He's training some men at this moment. But I believe he is to finish soon." Musashi nods to the elder once more before turning on his heel and walking over to the training grounds.

"Again!" Musashi hears before he was able to see.

"Hm. Amateurs." He mutters to himself before he leans against a gate and watches the violet haired swordsman shout to the group of trainees in front of him.

"You're not even holding the sword correctly!" He points at a student near him. "Your hands are way too spread apart. And yours are too far up the sword. If you were holding a real sword in your hands you would have no fingers by now!" He continues to shout before Musashi loudly clears his throat, making the man look back at him with a glare.

Musashi gestures him to calm down, resulting in the swordsman taking a deep breathe and lowering his voice.

"Trainings done for the day. Go home." The students bow before rushing out of the grounds. The swordsman rubs his temples and lets out an annoyed sigh.

"You look like you're having fun there, Munenori." Musashi smirks as he walks up to his friend.

"Trainings in the afternoon get to me, especially in this heat." Munenori takes a bamboo still from the ground and gently tips it to drink the water in it. "Why are you here anyway, barbarian?"

"Hm. Thought you would never ask. Did you hear about the murders going around the province?" Munenori nods.

"Who wouldn't have? The killer already killed five men and hung a prostitute this morning." Munenori looks off into the distance as he continues to speak. "After the third murder, word started to fly in the air as though it knew there would be another victim."

"Hanzo has been lacking evidence." Musashi continues.

"Yes, I've heard that also. He's responsible for the injustice going around, and the Shogun is about to pull the plug. Also heard that he allied Koga, Iga, and Fumma ninjas for help." Musashi nods.

"And we both know who might be behind these murders, there's no way we can lie to ourselves about it." Munenori nods his head to his friend before turning his head over his shoulder and calling out,

"We know you're out here. Come out."

At his orders, a figure appears from behind a line of trees. The figure was a woman; light violet orbs and long mint hair. She wore an expensive kimono that was trapped by different belts holding onto many different lengths of swords. She wore a smirk on her thin lips that were naturally a painted color of rose to appear similar to a certain man's.

"You have finally come out of the shadows, sister."


	4. 第四章

Yagyu sat on his knees with a pipe in hand as he quietly stared at the woman in front of him. His sister also sat on her knees with her pipe in her hand. Quietly taking in the tobacco with a small smirk upon her lips, she stares up at the smoke clouds that form after she drags it. Musashi, on the other hand, was too busy eating ramen to notice their strange tension.

"So, Hitomi," Musashi begins when he looks up to see Munenori glaring at his sister. "Where did you get the swords?"

"I have a friend in the Bungo Province who has hand crafted many swords for many warlords, so I asked as a favor after saving his life. Crafted all six of my swords in less than 6 months." Hitomi takes in another drag before blowing it out of her nose. "Haven't failed me yet."

"So you have killed men with your own name?" Munenori suddenly asks bluntly, making Hitomi look back at him before taking in another drag.

"I killed with my own justice." She answers as white smoke escaped her lips.

"And the prostitute?"

"She just annoyed me." Hitomi tips her pipe and drops the smoked tobacco into a dish before adding in more into the bowl and lighting it. Taking in a new fresh drag, she frowns upon remembering the prostitute attempting to seduce her the night before.

"That is no legitimate reason to kill an innocent." Munenori growls at his sister.

"You know me when it comes to intimacy; I cringe at the thought of it." Hitomi comments bluntly before taking in another drag and standing from the ground.

"Where are you going now?" Munenori follows his sister with his eyes as she walks up to the porch and towards the entrance of the temple.

"I'm going to my room." And with that, she disappears into the house.

Munenori lets out an annoyed grunt before taking in another long drag from his pipe. Musashi watches him for a moment before sighing.

"You still don't get along, do you?"

He takes in another drag before sighing. "Five years...All these fucking years… She is as disrespectful as ever. It's as though she has learned nothing from growing up with the Yagyu. We are grown up with strict trainings and manners that she shouldn't have grown up to be a killer and a whore."

"You know why though?" Munenori looks at his friend as he rests his head on his knuckles. "She may have a legitimate reason to act this way. Just like you when you do something extreme."

"Pfft, yeah, like what?" Munenori chuckles.

"Ask her yourself." Musashi stood up from the ground before walking towards the porch. "She's still on the third floor, right?"

Munenori watches Musashi leave into the mansion without answering his question before emptying the bowl into a dish and gently placing his kiseru on the ground in front of him. Sitting in the silence for a minute, he silently thought of a way to talk to his sister after all these years and after her last experience with their father.

"Lord Yagyu," His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a guard walks up to him and bows deeply. "You have some visitors."

He lets out a grunt. "Why does it have to be today when everyone visits?"

"Well, isn't he in a good mood today." Goemon says sarcastically as he walks up to Munenori and sat cross legged in front of him. "Miss me?"

"No, and I was hoping that you would be in a different Province by now."

"Well that's not very nice." The redhead pouts and tilts his head to the side, resulting to Munenori to click his tongue.

"Why are all you here anyway?"

"Would have thought you heard about Hanzo requesting us to come together and find this serial killer." Saizo bluntly comments as he stood next to Goemon.

"Oh, trust me, I heard before it became a rumor." Munenori picks up the cup of tea that was in front of him before taking a small sip of it and tasting its bitterness. "Hanzo is close to giving up, that's why he needs you all to work together to find this man who is going around and killing samurai's and prostitutes."

"Have you been in touch with Hanzo this whole time?" Sasuke asks quickly.

He takes another sip. "No, but I have been keeping in touch with the Shogun."

"And they do know Hanzo's progress with this case." Kotaro finishes.

Munenori doesn't say anything as he looks up and finds his sister looking out of her bedroom window with a blank expression. She had changed her kimono and her hair was tied back in a bun with one of her favorite hairpins. And surprisingly; applied some makeup to make her look more of a noble woman than a killer.

They only look at each other for a moment before she finally walks back inside her room and disappears. And within a minute, she walks out of the mansion and looks at the ninjas in surprise.

"Munenori, who are these people?" Hitomi asks her brother in her fake innocent voice as she walks up to them with a fresh pot of brewed tea.

Munenori cringes at her high voice before answering her. "Hitomi, these are some of the ninjas that are working together to find the serial killer that has been killing samurais in the Province." Munenori mentally braces himself for his sister's believable act as he replies to her.

Hitomi lets out a gasp. "They're looking for that killer?!"

"You've heard?" Saizo asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Why, who wouldn't? Rumors of the killer has been raining from the sky. That has been all the talk with all the noble since the third murder." Hitomi sits down next to her brother before pouring the tea into his cup and setting it down on the mat under them.

"And what are these rumors?" Kotaro asks Hitomi in interest.

"Well, I was told that there is a chance that a woman has been committing the murders." Hitomi answers with a look of disbelief. "I believe it is strange to think that a woman would be foolish enough to commit such acts when she has so much more to live for."

"You wouldn't take that as a hypocritical view?" Goemon asks directly, making Munenori glare at him in return.

Hitomi looks back at Goemon in surprise. "I may have had my days when I have been rebellious, yes, but because I got to experience that I took the path to rehabilitation and became someone who my mother wanted me to be."

Hitomi gives Goemon a smile before she was interrupted by Kotaro.

"You have swordsmanship skills, correct?"

"Yes, my father did teach me how to fight with a sword, just like he did with Munenori. But Munenori has been furthering his trainings and now training others."

"Excuse me for being rude and direct; but you are on our suspects list." Kotaro's words shocked everyone, causing Munenori to stand up from his seat defensively.

"What's your meaning of accusing my sister?!" He asks roughly.

" _Why the hell am I following this with her?"_ He asks himself suddenly, but that doesn't make him back down from standing up to Kotaro.

"We have our reasonings and evidence, but she isn't a complete suspect." The albion calmly stands his ground before bowing to Munenori. "Excuse us, but we have work to do."

The ninjas began to file out of the courtyard before it was completely quiet between the two people left. Munenori turns around and looks down at his sister before finding that her facial expression became normal again and she sat on the ground with a frown upon her lips.

"Well this is bullshit." She simply says before standing up from the ground again and walking towards the porch. "Thanks for playing along again."

"How do I always get pulled into your trouble?" Her brother asks in irritation.

"Because you're my brother so you would do anything to protect me." She answers. "Even if I was guilty."

Munenori could only sigh in agreement as she walks away from him. Making her way into the mansion, Hitomi walks down the hallway towards the stairway until she runs into Musashi, who stood against the wall with a small smirk on his lips.

"You can really 180 yourself in less than a minute." Hitomi walks up to him.

"Takes years of strict training from my father to master anything about one's self. He made me fake cry in front of noble to get what we wanted when I was a child. Munenori hated it but it worked in my advantage."

"I know what else Munenori hates," Musashi suddenly pins Hitomi to the wall and guards her body with his.

Pulling her chin up, he makes Hitomi look up at him before he roughly locks his lips with hers and kisses her deeply. Immediately sticking his tongue into her mouth, they desperately played with each other's tongues and felt each other's close presence for the first time in five years.

But as quickly as things began to heat up between the two, Musashi suddenly pulls away from Hitomi and slides his lips next to her ear whispering,

"You look better without makeup." Before he lets go of her and begins to walk away with a smirk on his face.

 **~*~yagyu criminal~*~**

Hitomi sat in her room with a little candle lighting barely anything, but just enough for her to see the dish and her tobacco leaves. It was past midnight and she couldn't sleep, so she just stayed up and smoked her pipe to relieve some of her stress.

" _Should I have started killing them?"_ She asks herself as she remembers all the samurai's faces.

But then the bloody image of the murdered family flooded her mind instantly, making her clench her jaw and rethink to herself.

" _Yes. They need to know the pain that they caused for the family."_

Hitomi takes in another drag before creating a white cloud above her.

"Fucking bullshit."


	5. 第5章

"Did you know that Munenori had a sister?" Goemon asks Kotaro as they laid in their futons on the opposite side of the rooms.

"To be honest, I thought it was a rumor. I have heard about her, but never knew she was real." Kotaro answers the ally as he lowers the scroll in his hands and looks over at the red head.

"Hanzo didn't tell us anything about her." Goemon turns to his side and looks over to his partner.

"He maybe didn't know anything about her either."

"But, Yagyu is such a great name that we know a lot about the family line." Goemon argues.

"So?" Kotaro shook his head and looks back at the scroll in his hand. "My family line descended from pirates, but no one knows that one."

"Wait, really?" Goemon looks at the albion in surprise.

"Don't get it in your head." He realizes something. "When did the killings start happening?"

"Like a week ago, why?" The red head looks at the albino and raises and eyebrow.

Kotaro continues to read the scroll before standing up from the his futon and walking over to Goemon's. "There are threats from some civilians here. Several that say that he should be killed."

"And this is from the latest killing?"

"No, this is the first one." Kotaro stood up again and walks over to the door. "Let's go. We need to see if there are threats from the other samurai's."

"Are you suggesting that the killer was doing a favor?"

Kotaro sighs. "I don't know. But whatever he is doing, it isn't justice; it's murder."

 _ **~*~ yagyu criminal ~*~**_

Hitomi quietly watched Musashi sleep as his arm was around her waist. He slept surprisingly peacefully for a restless sleeper, making her giggle at his adorable face. Playing with his jade hair, she remembers back when the two were younger and he always spent a night in her room. He never wanted to be around Munenori because he was too serious and not fun at all; so he hung out with Hitomi most of the time.

But this was before he was sent out to the military, and Hitomi left home to pursue her own destiny of justice.

Hitomi looks back as she hears her sliding door open and find her big brother walking in and freezing at the sight of the barbarian on his sister. His eye slightly twitches, making Hitomi smirk.

"He's tired. Let him be like this for a little while." Hitomi says to her brother before going back to playing with his hair.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to duel today." Hitomi looks back in surprise. "Since you know how to fight with six different swords, I would have guessed that you have excellent training. From somewhere."

She frowns at him. "Well some of it was from father, but I'm not telling you the rest."

"I wasn't expecting an explanation of your training, I was expecting a duel."

She sighs. "Fine, but it better not be a rematch from when I beat you a few years ago." Munenori's eyes widen when a sudden memory flashes through his eyes and he remembers clearly his father praising Hitomi after beating him to the ground during an unofficial duel.

"Tch, I tripped." He says as an excuse.

"Right…"

"Just get ready. I'll meet you in the training yard." He says bluntly before turning on his heel and walking out of the room.

 _ **~*~ yagyu criminal ~*~**_

Munenori practices a few slews with his sword before hearing light footsteps coming from the courtyard. Standing up straight, he looks back to find Hitomi walking to the training yard with all of her different swords sheathed behind her back. But as intimidating as she looks, Munenori felt like the whole world just slowed down and watched her walk towards him in a slow motion manner; showing off her long, mint mane swaying back and forth, her eyes patting as she looks in his direction, her fingers combing her hair as she moves it out of her face.

But it ended as soon as it begun,

"How many rounds are you planning on doing?" She immediately asks as she makes her way up to her brother.

"Just one. But I want you to be able to use all your swords." He replies, showing off that he was only using one sword.

"So this is a challenge for you, not me?" Hitomi raises an eyebrow.

"Shut up and get ready." Munenori bluntly tells his sister as he takes a few steps back and stood in position.

Hitomi grins and stood up straight with her arms in front of her; completely ignoring her swords at her sides. Munenori watched her in confusion before deciding to take the first move and charging at her with a side attack. But as his sword neared the frozen woman, she instantly lowers her body and ducks the attack before swiftly unsheathing her chisa and mimicking his side slew at his waist. Munenori was just barely able to miss the blade by a hair as they switched positions and he took the lower position as his sister took the authority. Her grin hasn't changed, but a gleam in her eyes was saying something else. Hitomi takes the next attack and swings her chisa from above: making Munenori move back, before he needed to dodge her o katana that she mysteriously pulled out while attacking him. Circling the blade with his, he dislodges the handle from her hand and tosses the o katana away from them and leaves her with her chisa in her right hand.

She looks back at Munenori in surprise before she pulls out the katana and takes another attack to the side. And just like Munenori predicted, he takes the chance to cut past Hitomi and use the end of his handle to counter an attack and punch her in the low of her back causing her to fall forward and lose her grip on her swords. Falling to her hands and knees, Hitomi lets out a hiss before leaping away from Munenori before his attack and swiftly unsheath her nodachi. The large sword was a big disadvantage to her brother's quick speed, but she wanted to save the best for last.

"You have no chance against me with that long sword." Munenori mockes, causing her to growl and take the first attack.

Even though the nodachi is a great defence weapon, it was difficult to use such a powerful weapon on such a swift and light moving katana. Hitomi is gonna need Munenori to attack her instead of her attacking him.

"Quit dodging and attack, Munenori!" Hitomi exclaims.

"Fine, if you want me to." He replies before taking a vertical swing at her.

As her sword defended her from above, Munenori takes the chance to kick her in the gut and throw her back to fall to the ground again. Losing her grip on the sword, Hitomi fell to the ground and lets out a groan as her body takes in the pain of the kick. Before she was able to look up to find her brother, her body was pinned down by Munenori with his katana at her throat.

"I win." Munenori remarks before a cold steel causes a chill to shiver down his spine.

"Take that into reconsideration, brother." Hitomi replies as she held her o tanto to the nape of his neck.

"You and your nasty tricks." He mutters with an eye roll before taking his blade away from her pale skin.

Hitomi smiles at him as she held the blade at his nape, pivoting it to only let the dull edge touch his skin.

"And where did I learn them from?" She questions as she leans closer to his lips.

"Well, you learned them from Yours Truly. Who else?" Munenori eyes her lips before looking back up at her violet orbs. "I was really hoping you still remembered something from home."

"How could I forget?"

Her eyes dart back at his thin lips as she whispers and breathes on them.

"Don't look at me like that." Munenori whispers as he tilts his head and leans down, inching closer to his sister's lips.

"Like what, Munenori?"

Before he was able to answer, their lips met and locked together. The kiss started slow, but Munenori was eager to lick Hitomi's lips for approval before she parts her lips and readies her tongue to fight his for dominance. Twisting and tying their tongues together, Munenori wins the match and coats her cavern with himself; marking his territory.

They continued to kiss before Munenori felt himself heat up and he lowers his lips to the side of her neck. But as he sucks on her fragile skin, an unexpected moan escapes Hitomi's lips and Munenori quickly halts; remembering a certain night several years ago.

It was a night of a banquet and the lower floors of the mansion were filled with noble men and ninjas and men of higher rank. Munenori was in his later teenage days when all he cared about was training than finding a suitable marriage contract. Feeling bored of the affairs, Munenori decided to head to his room and sharpen his swords. But halfway down the hallway, even with the voices of the people and the music from the band, Munenori heard a strange sound coming from his sister's bedroom and curiously walked up closer to the paper door. Slightly opening the door, Munenori peeks through the gap and gasps in shock when he finds his sister and the young Musashi in bed, practically naked. He only stared for a moment before shutting the door and running towards his room. Slamming his door behind him, the young Munenori crumpled to the ground and attempts to erase the image from his mind.

Pinning down his sister to the ground, Hitomi looks up at her brother in shock and confusion as his eyes clouded over and he felt suddenly distant from her.

"Munenori?" She barely mouths before he gets off of her body and walks out of the training court.

Shaking her head, Hitomi stood up and individually sheathed her swords back into their scabbers before looking back to find her father drinking tea in the garden. Deciding to join him, she walks over to the old man and sat on her knees on the other side of the small mat, facing towards her father.

"Good morning, father." She greets with a bow before sitting up and pouring herself some tea.

"Has these years improved your training?" He asks, completely monotone.

She pauses and looks up at him. "I have learned many different techniques, yes, but I don't mean to share with the Yagyu samurai." Hitomi replies as she sips her tea.

"I wouldn't dare you to involve with the Shadow Yagyu or the Tokugawa. With you as an assassin to many of the loyal samurai working under the Shogun; I expect you to stay in the dark where you belong." Her father blankly advices, causing her to frown but nod her head in agreement.

"As you say, father."

 _ **~*~ yagyu criminal ~*~**_

"Goemon, look, the second victim had threats against him also." Kotaro exclaims as he reads the records of the dead samurais.

"Yeah, same with the third and fourth ones." Goemon agrees as he brings Kotaro the scrolls.

"That must be what relates them. That they were practically hated half their career. But, what did they do so bad that caused them to be killed?" Kotaro asks as he rubs the back of his neck.

"Are you sure you want to have a Yagyu as a suspect?"

Kotaro looks back at Goemon before looking back down at the map pointing at the Yagyu residence.

"I have my motives. And she has her secrets." He whispers under his breath. "I'm just trying to find them."


	6. 第6章

"Where are you going?" Munenori's sudden voice freezes Hitomi as she was halfway out the door before she rolls her eyes and sighs in annoyance.

"Out. Just to the town." She simply answers without looking back.

"Do you have your swords on you?" He pushes.

Opening the bottom part of her kimono slightly, she pulls out her o tanto from its sheath strap, showing him the small dagger before hiding it again.

"I hope you aren't going out to use that."

"It's for protection," Hitomi replies back sarcastically with a smirk.

"Why must you be going out this late?"

"I'm out of tobacco. I'm going to get more since I found a tobacco shop on my way here."

Munenori gives her a curious look from across the room.

"We have tobacco here. Why must you bother buying tobacco we have stored here?"

"It's not just normal tobacco. It's... a special kind of tobacco." Hitomi remarks in a low voice. Shaking her head, she doesn't wait for another word from her brother as she walks out of the mansion without a look back.

The tense atmosphere was slowly disappearing the further she walked from the residence and she was able to relax as she made her way into the small city and found the liveliness uplifting. She missed being free like this, but she was somewhat happy to be home. Seeing her father made her happy that he was still in good health. And able to scold her for being an assassin. Hitomi though was satisfied that no one was suspecting her husband yet, and being home was a good alibi for when they find the fifth man.

Scanning the high trees in the area, she smiles to herself and nods slightly enough for no one else to notice before there was a slight rustle in the trees and whatever figure was in the leaves was now gone.

Turning the corner, Hitomi scans the area again before finding the entrance to the tobacco shop and smelling the strong sense of drugs and herbs surround the area. Walking over with a slight hope in her step, she could only smile to herself as she closed the distance to the shop and imagined going back to her room with fresh new tobacco leaves to smoke. Nearing the curtain, a sudden ruckus erupts from inside the shop and a sudden figure bursts through the doorway, running into Hitomi and slamming his elbow into her jaw. Falling to the ground, Hitomi looks up to find a familiar looking samurai in full attire; including the swords at his side, scan his surroundings before looking down at her with a hostile stare, causing her to freeze in horror.

"Stupid girl!" He shouts as he takes her by her hair.

"Agh!" Hitomi's face churns in pain as she attempts to grab his hand and release his grip from her hair.

"Don't you know to respect the authority?!" As his other hand moves to the handle of his sword, his hand was grabbed by someone else's and makes him halt his movement.

"Don't even think about it." A low voice says to him before he clicks his tongue and drops Hitomi on the ground.

Walking away without another word, the samurai disappears around the corner before the ninja kneels down to her height.

"You okay?" Hitomi looks up at Kotaro before spitting out some blood on the dirt.

"I bite my tongue." She simply answers as she gently rubs her scalp with her fingers and messes with her hair to make it look nice.

"Other than that?" He asks as he helps her up and scans her body.

"No, that's it." Looking up at him, she lets out a sigh and bows. "Thank you, by the way."

"Your welcome. What are you doing out here anyway?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." She counters.

"I'm just out. Goemon went out for a drink at the brothel." Hitomi then notices his casual clothing and a cologne to mask the smell of blood that would usually surround them. He smelt fresh and it was attractive for a second.

"Ah." She simply responds with a nod.

"What are you doing in front of a tobacco shop?" Kotaro asks again without a bat of his narrow eyes.

"I ran out of leaves. So I came to buy some more." Hitomi replies as she turns and enters the shop, aroused by the strong sense of the drugs.

"Wouldn't your brother have a life's worth amount at the mansion?" The ninja asks as he follows her through the shop and scans the leaves that she was searching for. "What is this one?" He suddenly asks in a curious and surprised manner.

"Blue Leaf. It's quite hard to find inland so it is usually exported from the West. I just happen to know where to find it." Kotaro gives Hitomi a suspicious stare as she takes the entire stock of the Blue Leaf tobacco and brings it up to the shop manager with a small smile.

Yet he gave her a strange stare, once she pulled out the yen and handed him more than what it was priced for, he smiled politely and bowed her a good night.

Walking out of the shop with her, Kotaro watched her closely and wondered what was going on in her head. If she was the murderer, why was she doing all of this? And why _them?_ They may have been hated by the public, but that wouldn't be the only reason? He was itching to know her motives.

"You still suspect me?" She asks without facing the ninja.

But before he was able to reply with anything, Goemon's voice interrupts him from behind and surprises the two.

"Kotaro! There's another body!"

Kotaro glances at him in surprise before staring back at Hitomi and finding a slightly surprised expression on her face.

It didn't make sense to him.

 **~*~ Yagyu Criminal ~*~**

The three stared at the body in awe, but only two have seen him before.

On the ground was the samurai who harassed Hitomi at the tobacco shop; his swords thrown to the side, his armor and jewelry scattered, and the killer's signature on the man's chest.

"How did this happen?" Kotaro asks in shock.

"And right under our noses," Goemon adds.

"Am I still a suspect?" Hitomi asks the two as she stares at the familiar body; smiling on the inside.

 **~*~ Yagyu Criminal ~*~**

Making it back to the mansion, Hitomi finds her brother sitting in his office in silence with a brush in his hand and a sake glass in the other.

"You not gonna sleep tonight?" She asks as she walks into the office and closes the sliding door behind her.

"I still got a few things to do before I could sleep. I don't have training tomorrow anyway." He answers without looking up at his sister.

"Hm." Hitomi simply hums as she takes the sake bottle and sips it in delight. "There's another dead body."

The words halt Munenori's movements and he looks up at his sister in surprise, finding her drinking the alcohol as though it wasn't a big deal.

"What?"

"And I'm not a suspect anymore." She continues with a grin. "Kotaro was with me the entire time and Goemon was the one who found the body." Hitomi puts down the bottle of sake on the desk and pulls out her pipe with the new batch of leaves and begins lighting a fresh smoke.

"From what I can tell you are still related to these murders, even if you aren't killing the men." Munenori scolds with a grim frown.

Hitomi only giggles at her brother's words as she releases the smoke from her nostrils.

"Damnit Hitomi!" He shouts at her after punching the ground under him, causing her to slightly jump in surprise. "You have no fucking respect for this family and all you think you can do is kill innocent people while framing it on someone else! The fucking Shogun is looking for your stupid ass,"

"They aren't innocent!" She shouts back, making her brother silent.

Before speaking again, Hitomi shook her head and takes another drag of the tobacco.

"They are fucking sick. Wrong in the head. No solid intentions. They do things without thinking and believe they can get away with anything because they are under the Tokugawa." Suddenly hitting the desk, Munenori slightly jumps and closes his eyes for a moment. Breathing through his nose, he settles himself before glancing at his sister.

"They have never been innocent." She whispers under her breath as she stood up from the ground and walked out of the room.

Munenori could only absorb the words from his sister before shaking his head and giving himself excuses for her behavior.

But something in the back of his mind made him worry about her life.

 **~*~ Yagyu Criminal ~*~**

Hitomi takes in another drag as she leans out of the window in her room and stares out into the warm night sky.

She was so close to finishing, just three more and she would be able to go away forever with him. Just three more.

"Thank you." She thanks the empty night sky with a smile and another drag from the tobacco.


	7. 第7章

Hitomi rubs her jaw carefully, observing the large purple bruise that happened just the night before. It stung, she wasn't gonna lie, but it also gave her the look of a victim and not a killer.

Rubbing some rosemary oil and cream on her jaw and chin, she let out a little sigh and groans in frustration. This meant she and her husband need to now find the last three men before they leave later that month.

Braiding her hair to the side, Hitomi grabs the belt that held her o-tana and katana and clipped it around her waist before walking out of the room with light footsteps. The house was quiet, but it was like no one was home that morning, not even the maids or servants. Scanning the areas in confusion, Hitomi made her way outside with a strange look on her face before she found her brother practicing with a dummy and a bamboo stick, naked from the waist up and hair pinned up to keep it out of his way.

"Morning," Hitomi calls, making him halt and look over.

"Morning sister."

As Munenori gets a look of his sister, he tilts his head to the side to see if the thing on her chin was either a shadow or makeup. She looks over to the side, keeping the bruise away from his view. While they may have been distant, he still cared for her like the little sister she is.

"What's that?" Walking up to his sister, he grabs her jaw and turns it to the side. Hitomi rolls her eyes heavily and signs. "Who did this?"

"He's dead." Munenori frowns heavily. "He's the one that died yesterday."

"How were you involved?"

Pulling her face away from him, she takes out her katana and spun it between her fingers. "Domestic assault, really. Hit me in the jaw after causing a ruckus in the tobacco shop." Slewing the sword to the side, she stops the sword in front of the chest of the dummy and glances it up and down. "Grabbed me by the hair," Sliding the blade higher on the dummy, she held the tip under the makeshift chin of it and pushes it in. "And sliced my throat."

"I don't think he did that last part." Munenori gives his sister a strange look, making her look back at him with the most obvious "no shit" face he has ever seen.

"Whether he did or didn't, I should at least be glad that Kotaro was able to stop him. Even with the tana by my side, I don't think I was in a position to be able to do the shot."

"So, if Kotaro wasn't there?" She looks back at her brother. Blinking blankly at him.

"So what are you doing right now?" She quickly asked, nodding to dummy.

"I don't have a class today, so might as well get some of my own practice in." Swinging the bamboo sword, he gives a shrug of the shoulder lamely and looks off in the distance for a short moment. "Do you by chance want to help out with my practices?"

"With real swords?" Pulling out her katana, she gives him a little smirk before his blank expression made her frown. "Are you for real?!"

"There's a bamboo stick behind you." Munenori watches his sister drop her swords and grab the bamboo before lamely swinging it on her side. He knew how much she hated practicing with bamboo sticks instead of swords, and it was her prime weakness. Because bamboo swords were so light, the change in weight was hard for her to handle; making her swing too hard and losing her balance almost 100% of the time.

"You know how much I hate these." Hitomi takes the first sloppy swing at her brother, watching him smirk at his power.

"And that's the challenge."

"This isn't practice! This is unfair play!" Swinging again, she almost loses her balance to the left as her own weight followed the bamboo stick.

Grabbing her arm, Munenori pulls her into his body before staring into her with his deep, cocky smirk.

"That's so sly of you." Pulling out of his grip, she throws the sword to the ground before turning her back to him; crossing her arms and pouting.

"Oh, stop sulking." Munenori licks his lips as he watches her continue to ignore him. "It was just for fun." Her ignoring him made it an awkward situation as he was just talking to her back. Shaking his head, he walks over to the dummy and rests his bamboo against him before figuring out what he wanted an answer for.

"What are your motives for killing these men?" His sister let out a small sigh. Looking at him from over her shoulder, she nods her head to follow him before walking towards the back gate of the courtyard and out towards the woods.

 **~*~ Yagyu Criminal ~*~**

Saizo watched the sky as his horse slowly walked down the dirt road, snorting and shaking his head in boredom. It was a silent ride with the soft sounds of its hooves clopping on the loose dirt. Though this subtle silence doesn't seem to last.

"Saizo!" Saizo let out a sigh in annoyance. "How long until we get there?!" Sasuke, who rode behind Saizo, complains.

"It will get longer the more you ask." He says through the grit of his teeth.

"But we've been riding over half a day without stopping! Why can't we just run the horses all the way to the city?"

"Running the horses will not only tire them out, but it will make the assassin hear us more. Or we could easily be ambushed by bandits. This forest isn't that trustworthy." Saizo scans the area before looking back at his partner.

"But it's so boring!" Sasuke continues to complain, lying back in his saddle and laying over the horse's loin.

"I don't give a shit how boring it is! Shut your mouth or I'm leaving you here!" Saizo shouts before another voice suddenly appears.

"How foul language from a ninja like you." Saizo held onto the reins as the horses suddenly spook as a woman in black appears in the road in front of them. She stood with confidence as her eyes gazed at the surprised ninja. "I expect a more proper tone as you do work under politics and law."

"What?!" Saizo shouted, furrowing his brows together in aggravation. He seriously didn't want unwanted company at the moment and the comment only made his mood worse.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asks, staring at her in confusion.

"That, you don't need to know, as for my information,"

Sasuke looks at his partner and finds a look of suspicion in his eyes. He was thinking about something, but this looked like it could go in two ways.

"We can't trust her," Saizo whispers.

"But she may have something that we need." Sasuke held up a finger to the girl before looking at Saizo, debating against him like he always does.

"It could be false!"

"Maybe, but we at least will have something if it is useful information." Sasuke pushes Saizo, making him turn to the woman and scan her body. She wore tight leggings that were covered in different braids on twine and string. Her top was loose as it fell over a shoulder, showing what looked like burn marks and scars from years ago. Her hair was down in her face, covering most of it from view, but Saizo was able to see that her eyes were a bright sea green color, making her pale skin seem more sick than healthy. But the mask on her face didn't help identify her, as it covered anything that maybe show her neck, chest, or lips. Reading just her eyes wouldn't give him an obvious answer.

"Oh, it's useful. Whether for this or that, you'll want to hear it." She plainly comments as she watches Saizo glance her up and down.

Sasuke and Saizo glance back at each other moment before Sasuke shrugs his shoulders, signaling that it was Saizo's final decision.

"What is it?"

"Hm?"

"The information! What is it?!"

She raises an eyebrow and holds out her hand at him, almost like a way to say "chill".

"You don't have to blow up like that." Saizo pulls out his sickle as a warning before Sasuke stopped him. "It's a warning about a man. Westerner. Englishman to be specific."

Saizo and Sasuke both tilt their heads.

"We aren't near any big cities. Why would there be any Westerners inland?" Sasuke looks at her in confusion.

"Does he have anything to do with these murders?"

The girl pauses, glancing down and choosing her words.

"I would just watch the trees more." She turns to her right and begins walking off the dirt path, Sasuke quickly dismounts and catches up to her, grabbing her forearm and halting her movements.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asks her gently, hoping this time she will answer him and they will have a source.

She turns to face him, eyes piercing his as they squint in annoyance. Pulling down her mask, she reveals to him burnt, thin lips with a scar lined symmetrically down the center of her lip to her chin. She only shows him for a moment before covering it back up with her half face mask.

"If you knew my story you would know." Tearing her arm from his grip, she disappears in the trees just as quick as she appeared, leaving the two ninjas alone once again on a dirt road.

 **~*~*~ Yagyu Criminal ~*~*~**

"Where exactly are you taking me?" Munenori asks his sister before they made it to a clearing.

And in the middle of the clearing stood a piece of stone. It wasn't very nicely cut, it wasn't linear or round, but it held into the ground steadily as it seemed to have been there for quite a few years. Getting a closer look at the tombstone, it was carved out with the simple writing of "Corpse" with nothing else. Looking back at his sister, Munenori watched her bow to the ground and pray to the grave. He couldn't do much but just bow in respect.

"This family meant the world to me." Hitomi begins, raising her head but staying on her knees. "They were the sweetest people, had the most loving children, and the more caring mother. I loved them like my own family. They had nothing, but so much of everything. Her son had the cutest crush on me. Said he wanted to marry me when he got older and was the magistrate of Kyoto." Munenori watched his sister. Her voice was quivering and tears ran down her cheeks. He has never seen her like this, not even as a child.

"I couldn't save them. I couldn't even say sorry to them." Covering her face, she sobs.

Munenori felt torn. If she was telling him this, then there was a solid reason for her murders, but that still didn't make it right as it didn't need to occur as an assassination. They would have been put to trial; imprisonment at the very least.

Kneeling down, he takes her hand and turns her face towards him. Her eyes seemed to swell as there was a slight redness in her whites and her lower lip trembling in despair. He couldn't say anything, he just leaned in and embraced his heartbroken sister.

"They deserve to die for their sins," Hitomi mutters in his chest as she held onto him, continuing to sob like a child who witnessed an animal being cut in two.

He could only close his eyes and take a breath. This situation was coming together and he was torn between two states of a crime. Take the side of the law and trial the rest of the men, or continue to allow his sister to kill the men?

"Hitomi, let's go home. I think you've had enough for today." Munenori pulls her off of him and gets a look of her red face. She needed rest and some lunch.

Hitomi nods her head, standing with her brother and walking back to the mansion hand in hand.


End file.
